Sony XDCam EX cameras will happily use some Class 6, most of Class 10 and above and now even UHS-1 300/633X memory cards.

For full overcranking the camera will require a minimum transfer rate of 10-11 MB/s which certain manufacturers can provide but, for safety and prudence the minimum of Class 10 is recommended.

However, we have happily overcranked Class 6 memory cards from ATP, SanDisk and Patriot and all these memory cards tested to be worthy of Class 12! So there are exceptions to the minimum class requirements...

SDXC media is extended capacity media, up to 2T, compared with SDHC media which has a maximum capacity of 32GB. Currently, the maximinum capacity available on the market of SDXC media is 128GB. This will be extended in the future...

SDHC memory cards vary from factory to factory and country to country. For example, SanDisk memory cards are graded from professional to consumer to budget quality and the pricing will reflect this.

Patriot can be manufactured in Taiwan and also manufactured in the USA.

Transcend memory cards come from all over the world and with other brands, they do not necessarily come for the branded name's manufacturer, rather they can be made for the manufacturer by an OEM company.

It is a well known practice, if a manufacturer runs out of one component, they will substitute it with another one, as long as it will represent the designated Class grade.

The fundamental difference between professional grade memory and non-professional, is the choice of NAND flash and choice of the memory controller and as well the quality of the casing.

Professional grade memory cards will be high quality, high performance and a durable flash product. For example, Hoodman Raw Steel, ATP Pro or SanDisk Extreme Pro.

However, other known non-professional grade memory cards we have tested, the likes of Patriot, Team or Transcend all went through the minimum 300 hours of recording without any failures and represent a good budget option for videographers not requiring the robustness of professional grade and higher priced memory cards.

Durability and built quality is very important and should be paramount in your choice of media.

SDHC/SDXC memory cards are available in different price and quality ranges: -